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Arkansas Tech University becomes 50th Campus Kitchen to join the growing national network

Washington, DC (PRWEB)February 19, 2016

Arkansas Tech University today joined The Campus Kitchens Project, the leading national nonprofit empowering students to fight hunger and food waste, with the official launch of its own Campus Kitchen. The student-led organization will turn wasted food into healthy, balanced meals for their community. With the launch of the program, the Campus Kitchen at Arkansas Tech University will become the 50th Campus Kitchen to join the national network.

Today’s announcement comes on the heels of December’s landmark 5 million pounds of food recovered – food that would have otherwise been thrown away – and more than 2.5 million healthy, balanced meals prepared and delivered by our next generation of young leaders to those in need since the organization’s founding in 2001.

Since its founding, student volunteers with The Campus Kitchens Project have teamed up with on-campus dining providers and cultivated local food recovery partnerships that help them prepare healthy, balanced meals for their community. Students prepare these meals in cafeteria kitchens during off-hours, and then deliver them to nearby community partners, such as afterschool programs and senior centers.

“As the number of food insecure individuals in this country continues to grow, so has the number of Campus Kitchens and student volunteers across the country working to address this problem in a sustainable way,” said The Campus Kitchens Project Director, Laura Toscano. “With the help of our student leaders, we’re recovering food that would have otherwise gone to waste and using that food to not only feed those in need, but also to create innovative programs that address the underlying root causes of hunger.

With the number of Campus Kitchens continuing to grow, student volunteers with the organization are slated to recover 1 million pounds of wasted food each year that they will use to create healthy, balanced meals for their community.

Each spring, The Campus Kitchens Project hosts the Food Waste & Hunger Summit bringing together leading national nonprofit organizations and engaged students who are working to fight food waste and hunger in their communities. The third annual Food Waste & Hunger Summit will take place April 16-17 at the University of Arkansas. To learn more visit http://www.campuskitchens.org/summit/.

About The Campus Kitchens Project
Founded in 2001, The Campus Kitchens Project is a national organization that empowers student volunteers to fight hunger and food waste in their community. On 50 university and high school campuses across the country, students transform unused food from dining halls, grocery stores, restaurants, and farmers’ markets into meals that are delivered to local agencies serving those in need. By taking the initiative to run a community kitchen, students develop entrepreneurial and leadership skills, along with a commitment to serve their community, that they will carry with them into future careers. Each Campus Kitchen goes beyond meals by using food as a tool to promote poverty solutions, implement garden initiatives, participate in nutrition education, and convene food policy events. To learn more about our work or bring The Campus Kitchens Project to your school, visit http://www.campuskitchens.org.
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